This Week in Twitter
- A new Boulder eatery is in the works for Black Cat owner/chef Eric Skokan, says @cafewestword http://t.co/UwLWtcnz #
- Love chocolate? Why not sample from this list of chocolate beers for your Valentine? http://t.co/LuXQSY7p #
- Hungry? Check out our complete recreational course calendar – http://t.co/3m6ki0oN #
- Interesting piece on an often-overlooked ingredient: celery. http://t.co/TjKynviD #
- What restaurants would you add to @cafewestword's list of Denver's most romantic? http://t.co/2dpP6YNU #
- Restaurants take a fresh look at local produce – http://t.co/OV8mRGUH #
- Class you should try: knife skills. Chop with confidence – http://t.co/Dl5xzh2Z #
- Congrats Alec Schuler, winner of a Colorado Culinary Award of Excellence! http://t.co/9Q0gUV3d via @cafewestword #
Cook This – Pizza Recipe
PIZZA MARGHERITA
GRILLED FLATBREAD CRUST
yield: 8 servings (four crusts)
1 ½ C warm water
½ t dry yeast
4C all-purpose flour
½ t salt
2T olive oil, plus ¼ C for grilling
Mix the water and yeast in a medium bowl and let stand 15 minutes. Gradually pour in 2 cups of the flour and stir to incorporate. Mix for about 1 minute to form a sponge. Let stand at room temperature, covered, for 45 minutes.
Put the sponge in the bowl of a standing mixer. Using the dough hook, mix in the salt and oil, and add flour ½ cup at a time, mixing, to form a soft dough. Place the dough on a lightly floured work surface and knead until it is satiny, sprinkling with a little flour to keep it from sticking, about 5 minutes.
Place the dough in a large, clean, oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 2 ½ hours. Punch down the dough and divide into 4 balls. Place on a sheet pan, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise until almost doubled, about 30 to 45 minutes. Roll, pat, and stretch the dough into 4 roughly shaped 10- to 12-inch circles or rectangles. They don’t have to look perfect.
When ready to grill, preheat a gas or charcoal grill to medium high. Brush the rounds of dough with ¼ cup olive oil and grill until crust and golden brown on one side, about 4 minutes. Turn over and grill another 4 minutes.
TOPPINGS
8 to 10 ripe plum tomatoes, cored and finely chopped
2T extra virgin olive oil
1t minced garlic
½ c. tightly packed basic leaves, torn in to small pieces
½ t kosher salt
¼ t freshly ground black pepper
8oz shredded mozzarella cheese (about 2 cups)
Make the flatbread.
In a large bowl combine the topping ingredients. Stir to blend.
Grill one side of the flatbread over Direct Medium heat until toasted, about 1 to 3 minutes. Distribute about 1 cup of the topping on the toasted side of each crust, leaving any liquid in the bowl. Top each pizza with about ½ cup of the cheese, laving a ½-inch border around the edges.
Grill the pizzas over direct medium heat until the crusts are crisp and the cheese has melted, 4 to 6 minutes. Remove from the grill. Cut in to wedges and serve warm.
Pair with Great Divide Pale Ale, a world-renowned, classic pale ale with a malty middle and an equally hearty complement of hop aroma, flavor and bitterness…or try Chianti Classico, a wine made from the Tuscan Sangiovese grape that partners perfectly with tomato-based dishes.
Cook Street Recipe: Mushroom-Leek Souffle
Serves 12
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
4 leeks, white and 2 inches green part, cut into ¼-inch dice
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 cups mushrooms sliced
2 ½ cups milk
5 tablespoons unsalted butter
5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
6 eggs, separated, room temperature
1 cup (4 ounces) grated Gruyère cheese
Warm half of the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the leeks, thyme, and salt and pepper to taste. Reduce the heat to low and cook, stirring occasionally, until the leeks are soft and just starting to turn lightly golden, 40 to 45 minutes. Remove from the pan and let cool. Using the same pan heat the remaining olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the sliced mushrooms, salt and pepper and sauté until mushrooms have given up their liquid. Allow all of the liquid to evaporate and remove from heat and let cool.
Pour the half-and-half into a saucepan and bring it almost to the boiling point. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a heavy saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour and whisk 1 to 2 minutes. Add the scalded half-and-half to the flour mixture, stirring rapidly with a whisk. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes, until the sauce is smooth and thick. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add the egg yolks to the cream sauce, one at a time, stirring well after each addition. Add the Gruyère, and salt and pepper to taste. Add the cooled leeks and mushrooms to the cream sauce. Mix well.
Preheat the oven to 450°F. While the oven is heating, place the egg whites in a clean bowl and beat until they form soft peaks. Fold half of the whites into the cheese mixture with as few strokes as possible. Then fold in the remaining whites. Gently spoon the mixture into a generously buttered 18-inch oval ovenproof dish (or two 12-inch ovals). Bake on the top shelf of the oven until puffed and well browned, 10 to 14 minutes.
Pair with a glass of Pinot Gris from Oregon or Alsace.
Spring Into New Classes at Cook Street
Spring is here with a vengeance…and we’re excited about several upcoming classes at Cook Street:
Classic Techniques: Artisan Bread This class is your last chance this spring to learn the ins and outs of breadmaking! From quick breads to sourdough, challah, brioche, even naan, you’ll go far beyond the basics in this popular class. Click here for information and registration.
Wines of Italy This class is your passport to all things Italian wine! Learn about the wines of Piedmont, Tuscany, and Sicily as you taste and explore in our exclusive new wine space. Click here for information and registration.
Cheese and Wine Pairing Kick off spring in style as you learn how to pair cheese with the perfect glass of wine. From flavor profiles to information about tasting and wine properties, you’ll come away from this class with plenty of hands-on knowledge. Click here for information and registration.
Cheese 101: An Introduction to Cheese From milks to types, this class will help you navigate the wide world of cheese. You’ll sample six to nine cheeses and three to six paired wines as you gain enviable cheesy expertise. Click here for information and registration.
Personal Chef Course Starts April 1!
Ready to give your career a boost? It’s time to take your culinary dreams to the next level with Cook Street’s Culinary Business Academy Quick Start Plus Personal Chef Course starting April 1.
This unique, hands-on course will give you the information you need to start and run your own personal chef business! You’ll learn the business, administrative and logistical aspects of ownership and operation of a Personal Chef Service, from start-up to operation and so much more!
Our accelerated course is the first of its kind ever offered in the exploding personal chef industry…and it gives you the chance to earn your Personal Chef diploma in just three days. For details and registration, click here.
Pasta, Please!
Ever wonder why pasta gets short shrift from some foodies? At Cook Street, we’re out to rectify that misunderstanding with Pasta, Pasta, Pasta!, a class devoted to the delicious noodles in all their amazing variations. Get excited about this Saturday’s class with these pasta facts:
- Pasta’s one of the world’s oldest foods. In fact, historians estimate it was eaten as far back as 5,000 B.C.!
- A piece of pasta has to contain egg to be considered a noodle.
- There are more than 600 pasta shapes in all, and the average American eats 15.5 pound per year.
- Thomas Jefferson is credited with bringing the first pasta machine to the United States. He brought a “Maccaroni” machine home from France in 1789.
- October is National Pasta Month.
- Some pasta varieties have truly poetic names. Fettuccine means ribbons; stelline means little stars; and capelli d’angelo means angel’s hair.
Join us for Pasta, Pasta, Pasta! this Saturday and leave knowing how to make Classic Pasta Carbonara; Penne with Sausage, Tomato, and Roasted Garlic; and Chocolate Pasta with Raspberry Sauce. We provide the paired wines and hands-on instruction, you get pasta-making skills to last a lifetime!
Reminder: There’s still time to vote for 5280’s Top of the Town Awards! Just click here to enter, and nominate Cook Street for “Best Cooking Class” and “Best Rainy Day Activity.” Mille grazie!
Butchery, Top of the Town, and More – What’s News at Cook Street
Meat: Remember the butchery class we featured a few weeks ago? Well, registration is up and running and time is running out! Do your career a favor — invest in full-scale meat fabrication skills taught by Il Mondo Vecchio’s Mark DeNittis. Click here for full details and registration information.
Eat: It’s not too late to go on a fun-filled date (or treat yourself to better cooking skills)! Wield a knife with savvy and confidence with Knife Skills (March 3) and take control of the wine list with Wine 101 (March 4). And that’s not all. Click here for a full class calendar.
Vote: It’s that time again…time for 5280 Magazine’s Top of the Town awards! Vote for Cook Street for Best Cooking Class or Best Rainy Day Activity. Voting is open until March 18…tell a friend, and thanks for your vote!
Get The Edge…Changes Coming To Knife Skills Course
Knife skills aren’t just a buzzword in cooking…they’re a set of techniques that will serve you through a lifelong of showstopping, delicious and well-cooked meals. We’re excited to share details about our upcoming Knife Skills classes, including some exciting changes you won’t want to miss!
First, the nitty-gritty…each Knife Skills class is so hands-on, we limit registration so you get the personal attention you deserve! Our knife skills class will help you hone your knife techniques so that you’re a more confident and polished cook. And the meal you cook will be paired with perfect wines to show off all that hard work.
March 3’s class will focus on chicken butchery, soups, and a delicious fresh fruit dessert, all showing off your newly-acquired skills. You’ll learn to cook minestrone, chicken madeira, and a fresh fruit crostada…perfect staples you’ll enjoy for years to come!
If you’ve ever agonized over fish, you won’t want to miss our April 13 class, which features an all-new menu. You’ll put your coveted skills to use as you prepare Spanish garlic soup, pan-roasted seasonal fish with a warm bacon-apple vinaigrette, a salad of citrus-dressed microgreens, and our famous fruit crostada to top it off!
Ready to take your skills to a sharp extreme? Grab a friend and sign up for Knife Skills…details and registration can be found here.
5 Reasons to Tackle Artisan Bread
There are only a few days left until our next session of Classic Techniques: Artisan Bread begins…and here’s why we think you should attend:
Variety is the spice of life…and our class, which focuses on bread techniques, enriched breads, breakfast breads and varieties such as crackers, naan and pizza, offers plenty to choose from! You’ll leave with an extensive knowledge of breadmaking to serve you for a lifetime.
Breadmaking is timeless…and the skills you’ll learn are as old as time. Whether you’re cooking up challah or sourdough, bagels or pizza, the skills you gain in our class will translate to a lifetime of timeless cooking with the classics!
Get your hands dirty…with our professional chef instructors in our gorgeous LoDo kitchen! You won’t just hear about breadmaking techniques, you’ll test them out for yourself…and that kinetic experience will stick with you once you’re back in your own kitchen.
Stay warm…is there anything more warming and comforting than a piping-hot loaf of homemade bread? We didn’t think so. Forget about winter for a moment as you focus on the history, chemistry, and handmade goodness of bread.
Community…is the centerpiece of any Cook Street class. Bring a friend or get to know new ones as you commune over lunch (with wine of course), knead and prepare doughs, and sample your creations.
Hungry for some homemade bread? See complete menus and register for the course here.
Announcing Exclusive New Butchery Extension Program
Do you have a professional interest in butchery and charcuterie? Cook Street will soon launch Foundations of Meat Fabrication Professional Series, a new extension course. Taught by Mark DeNittis, founder of the Rocky Mountain Institute of Meat, owner of Il Mondo Vecchio and a member of the Denver Five, this class offers the once-in-a-lifetime chance to master all facets of meat production and charcuterie under the tutelage of a local master.
Learn basic butchery and meat fabrication, from safety to grading, product acquisition to advanced processing (that’s right: we’ll be butchering whole carcasses and tackling charcuterie hands-on!). Gain skills to last a lifetime (and help make your career). We anticipate high demand for this unique course, which is limited only to Cook Street graduates and those with a year or more experience in food service. Stay tuned for more information!
